Twisted Fate
by over-written
Summary: Sequel to Beautiful Lies- Detective Alex Parker is left heart broken when Loki doesn't return to her. She moves on with her life and is welcomed as a new agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. As she becomes adjusted to her new life in the big city, terror strikes when Loki comes out of exile to take over Earth as king.
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Welcome to the third installment of the Alex Parker series! (I guess we should call it that... it's kind of lame.) Thank you so much for sticking through with me. I want to thank everyone who has followed/favorite-d and posted reviews about the story. This takes place during The Avengers. Alex is now a member of S.H.I.E.L.D. There isn't a lot of information about S.H.I.E.L.D. on the internet, about how it works, which level gets what access so I'm kind of just going to go with it. I am watching the new TV series on ABC "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." (It's awesome by the way) and hopefully I will learn more about it through that. If you know anything, I got something wrong, you found a website with more info on it, please let me know! It would totally awesome. Disclaimer: I do not own anything besides Alex Parker and a few other OCs. Everything else belongs to Marvel and the movies writers/directors, etc. I will be using dialogue from the movie... So thank you so much again. I will not keep you waiting any longer. Enjoy!

* * *

_2010_

"Ow! That hurt…"

"It's supposed to hurt, Alex. I'm even taking it easy on you. How do you think it'll be like when _real_ _bad guys_ try to kill you?"

"I know I know… Ok, let's try again."

Agent Natasha took another swing at Alex, Alex blocking her with some difficulty. Natasha nodded, "Better. Again."

Agent Natasha Romanoff had been training Alex Parker in self-defense for the past 6 weeks. Alex's muscles were constantly sore, but she felt stronger and more flexible. Alex and Natasha met up daily to train and get her in proper shape to become a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Alex didn't have her badge yet, but was considered part of the team already. Alex felt like she was constantly studying or working out. Luckily her step-brother, Michael, helps her out.

Alex began to get a feel for the computer layouts, how to fill out paperwork, who did what, history, rules, what to do and what not to do. Her physical training was a good outlet.

Swing after swing, Alex was beginning to get the feel of the movements. Alex took one step wrong and Natasha's gloved fist smacked into her cheek. Alex stumbled back, surprised. It had happened so fast. Natasha put her hands on her hips.

Alex groaned, "I won't be able to get a hang of this… I'll never be as good as you."

"No, you never will be," Natasha said dully.

Alex slouched in disappointment. The red-haired agent began to remove her fighting gloves, "Alex, I have been doing this since I was a kid. I was trained very young and if I failed, I died. You're doing good, honestly. Better than most here," she told her.

Alex felt a bit better and smiled softly, "Thanks."

Alex hopped in the locker room shower and washed off the day's sweat. She quickly dried off and put on her clothes to head home. A few agents bid her goodbye as she left.

She got into her new, sleek car and drove to her apartment. She missed her old car. Alex got to her apartment, located on the top floor. Her windows were large and her apartment was wide and open, kind of like her one back in Paradise. It was much bigger.

Oliver had no trouble making himself at home. With her new pay check, Alex was able to buy new clothes, furniture and cat trees. Alex had to get rid of her old bed. She couldn't look at it anymore. She burnt all of her sheet and bought clean new ones. She bought a new couch as well. Other than that, everything else was the same.

Her life was still simple. It just included top secret job. Alex had the view of New York City outside of her windows. Every time she looked out, she felt so small. The biggest city she had ever been to was Columbus. Her family could never afford vacations.

She felt very alone in the big city. Alex liked to think Natasha Romanoff was her friend, but she knew that Natasha wasn't the one to be buddy-buddy with anyone. Alex would walk down the city streets, surrounded by hundreds of people, she felt alone. Yet, she felt like someone could watch her from afar and wonder about her life and what it entailed. But Alex wasn't that interesting.

* * *

_2011_

"This is a great New Year's gift, isn't it?" asked Phil.

Alex laughed, "Yeah, it's pretty great."

Alex looked at her new laminated ID. She felt so proud of herself. A man approached her, "Congratulations, Agent Parker."

Alex looked up to see Director Nick Fury smiling down at her. He wore a black leather trench coat and an eye patch over a visible scar. "Nice to finally meet you," he said, offering his hand.

Alex shook it, returning the smile, "It's wonderful to see you as well, sir," she greeted, "Thank you for this opportunity. It means a lot."

He nodded, "Do not make me regret this, Agent Parker. Or should I say that to your brother?"

Alex chuckled, "I hope you won't have to tell that to either of us, sir."

"Good to hear. Now I have you assigned to shadow Agent Coulson for the first few months, as needed. When he believes that you can be taking cases on your own, you will be the second to know."

"Second, sir?" Alex asked.

"I will be the first. I will be seeing you around," Director Fury than made his way.

Alex turned to Phil, "I didn't know I was going to shadow you," she smiled, "I had a feeling I would be shadowing Romanoff because of my earlier training."

Phil shook his head, "No, you would be shadowing her if you were going to be a spy. You're a detective. You'll be solving cases like mine." Agent Coulson grabbed a file that was on the counter and handed it to Alex, "This is our first case," she grinned.

Alex opened the file and read the name out loud, "Steve Rogers…"


	2. Chapter 2

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Thank you for all of the recent reviews on this story and Beautiful Lies! I am so glad that there are those who enjoy this as much as I do. I have dug deep into the movie to get as much information as I can. The Avengers takes place within about 3 to 4 days, roughly. As I watch the movie over again, to get the chapters in sync, I realize that the third installment will not be as long as Beautiful Lies. I am shooting for 10 chapters or more, but I highly doubt that it will have that many. I am going to write a lot of detail, but I can only write so much in Alex's POV. The chapters will probably be shorter than usual but will be more frequent. Thank you so much again, reviews are much welcomed! Enjoy~

* * *

_2012 _

"_What?"_

"I said—"

"I heard what you said! What do you mean, 'P.E.G.A.S.U.S. has_ collapsed'_?!"

"Director Fury did not specify, ma'am… He told me to inform you that you are to report to the Helicarrier… and that there would be a case waiting for you… ma'am…" stammered the intern.

Alex furrowed her brows in shock. She rubbed her temple and then nodded, "OK, thank you."

The intern quickly scurried away. Alex sat at her office, a S.H.I.E.L.D. base where she did most of her filing and dirty work. Her desk was piled with files and paperwork that she had to go through. It was late. Alex's phone then went off, notifying what the intern had just told her. Alex groaned and shot her brother a text, take care of Oliver while she was gone.

Alex had to put this work on hold. She headed home to pack her things for about a week. The next morning, she said her goodbyes to Oliver and drove to the S.H.I.E.L.D. airport. She got in the jet with her bag.

Her phone rang when the pilot said they were 300 miles from base. "Parker," she answered.

A low voice chuckled, "It's so sexy when you do that."

Alex snorted, "Come off it, Brad. What is it?" she smiled.

"Oh, nothing," he hummed, "Just wanted to remind you that I'm going to miss you."

Alex laughed softly, "I'll miss you too."

"When do you think you'll be back, babe?"

Alex sighed, pondering, "I honestly have no idea. I don't even know why I was called. I'll call you as soon as I know."

"OK, I'll talk to you later than… I… I love you."

Alex's muscles froze, "Um… thank you…"

"Yeah…"

"I'll call you later, bye."

"Bye."

Alex hung up and closed her eyes. She moaned as she felt her stomach churn.

* * *

The sound of the Helicarrier starting up hummed throughout the base. Ocean water spilled off of the wings, creating large temporary waterfalls. As it got into the sky, the sound of the engines quieted down till you couldn't hear the fans spinning at top speed.

"Sir, I don't understand how I qualify for this," Alex said, slightly worried.

Director Fury turned to face her, "Why? Do you think you can't handle it?"

"No! I can, it's just… How do I come into play with all of this? The Avengers Initiative? I don't think that would be…. The best idea…"

"And why's that?" Fury bit.

"Well… it didn't work the first time… Why would it work now?"

"We need a response team, Parker. The Tesseract has been stolen."

"Who stole it again?" she asked.

"Parker, you are one of my best agents. Just do what Coulson tells you to do. You are his right hand man—er, woman, right now."

Alex nodded, "Yes, sir."


	3. Chapter 3

Alex woke up suddenly from a nightmare that quickly escaped her memory. Cold sweat formed lightly on her forehead, clinging to her skin like dew does to flower petals at day break. It was dark outside her small window. She hadn't intended on sleeping for that long. Alex violently kicked off her sheets that were tangled between her legs and headed to the bathroom.

She showered off under warm water. She felt her muscles relax as the streams of water hit her back and shoulders. She shut off the shower head when she ran out of hot water. She slowly got ready in a steamed up bathroom. Her leather one-suit fit her body like a glove. She felt self-cautious in the uniform, but once she was put to work, she felt confident.

She pulled her hair back and twisted it into a sloppy bun. She then made her way down to the control room.

* * *

"Dr. Banner is only here to track the cube. I was hoping you might join him," Fury said.

"I would start with that stick of his. It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a H.Y.D.R.A. weapon."

"I don't know about that, but it is powered by the cube," Fury continued, "And I would like to know how Loki used it to turn two of my sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys."

A deep voice then said, "Monkeys? I do not understand."

"I do!" said the other man, "I understood that reference."

Alex stopped before the glass table where Captain America, Steve Rogers and Natasha sat, with Fury, Dr. Banner, Mr. Stark, and a tall man with blonde hair standing by.

"Who?" Alex asked, her voice straining against weak vocal cords. She must have heard wrong. It couldn't be. It couldn't be…

Everyone turned to see her standing, with a painful, confused expression on her face. Fury introduced her, "Ah, Agent Parker. I was wondering when you were going to join us."

"Who turned your men into personal flying monkeys...?" she asked again, more urgent this time.

"Loki," Steve answered her, "He stole the Tesseract."

Steve and Alex had met already, when he woke up. They didn't say much, but there wasn't much to be said at that time.

Fury pulled up Loki's file on one of the computers, "I was hoping to brief you on this earlier, but you were nowhere to be found."

Alex scanned through the file quickly, "Oh, my God…" she gasped.

"What?" Natasha asked.

Alex's head seemed to spin; her heart beat filled her ears. There he was…

"Detective," Fury asked, "Are you alright?"

Alex tore her eyes from Loki's picture. He looked so different. He looked sick and evil… "Um…"

"Detective, is there something you need to say?" Fury asked, curious to what was wrong.

Alex placed her hand on her head, trying to stay focused, "Back in Ohio… When I was a homicide detective," she began, "Several years ago, there was a case. It was serial killings. I found who was responsible, but when he was put in the cell, he disappeared… Vanished… It's him."

The blonde haired man took a step towards her, "What?" he asked in disbelief.

"Are you sure that's him?" Fury asked her.

Alex nodded. She looked back up to them, "Why is he here?"

The blonde man spoke again, "My brother is planning to attack and take over Earth with his rule…"

Alex's breath hitched in her throat. She quickly tried to recover, not to seem too suspicious, "I see…"

_So he's Thor_, Alex thought to herself.

"It would explain a few things," Thor said, more to himself.

"Explain what?" Alex asked.

"Several years ago, Loki would remain missing for a few days at a time. We did not know where he would go. Heimdall, our gatekeeper who can see anywhere and anything, could not find him. I thought it odd, but I dismissed it long ago."

Alex's memories of Loki as Luke flooded into her mind. Her heart beat quickened. Dr. Banner and Stark then excused themselves to go "play". Fury turned to Alex once more, "I'll update you all that has happened in the past few hours."


	4. Chapter 4

"You changed everything around here," Coulson told Thor. Alex sat on one of the stairs listening, her arms wrapped around her legs.

"They were better as they were," Thor told him, "We pretend on Asgard that we're more advanced, but we come here, battling like bilge snipe."

Alex snorted in light humor. Coulson, unlike her, did not get that reference, "Like what?"

"Bilge snipe," Thor answered, "You know, huge, scaly, big antlers… You don't have those?"

"I don't think so," Coulson shook his head.

Thor sighed as they continued to pace, "Well, they are repulsive. And they trample everything in their path."

The God of Thunder gazed out of the window wall and into the darkness, "When I first came to Earth, Loki's rage followed me here, and your people paid the price. And now, again."

Alex shut her eyes tightly. It was Loki who had that metal giant destroy that small town in New Mexico. Betrayal began to sit in her stomach.

"In my youth, I courted war," Thor said, sadly.

"War hasn't started yet," Fury's voice came from behind Alex. She jumped in her spot, startled.

He stood at the top of the stairs with his hands behind his back, "You think you could make Loki tell us where the Tesseract is?"

"I do not know. Loki's mind is far afield. It's not just power he craves, it's vengeance, upon me. There's no pain would prise his need from him."

Fury made his way down the steps, "A lot of guys think that," Alex scooted out of the way, "until the pain starts."

"What are you asking me to do?" Thor asked, despite to help the cause.

Fury leaned over the railing, getting closer to Thor, "I'm asking, what are you prepared to do?"

"Loki is a prisoner," Thor reminded him.

"Then why do I feel like he's the only person on this boat that wants to be here?"

Thor was left to think about what Fury had just said. It made perfect sense to Alex. She watched the videos of him from in Germany and in his cell alone. She couldn't help but cry from pain and the feeling of desertion. But Alex dried her eyes and waited for something for her to do. And now was her chance. But this was for her. Not them. The memory that was now stuck in her mind, replaying over and over again was when she promised Loki her allegiance. She gave herself to him… What was she now?

Alex stood up, "Director, I'll talk to him."

Fury furrowed his brows, "Excuse me?"

"I have been studying him for some time now, sir," she put her best acting on; "I think I can get him to talk. At least I hope."

Fury was quiet for a moment, thinking it over. He nodded, "Alright. But this is at your own risk, you hear me?"

"Yes, sir."


	5. Chapter 5

She walked towards the glass cage where the God of Mischief was held. Her steps did not make a sound. She couldn't tell if she was just quiet or the sound of her heart racing in her ears covered it. He was facing the other way, just standing. He was staring, lost in thought. She knew that stance well. His hair had gotten longer. His robes were different as well, but they looked worn and broken in.

"Did you forget a shirt here or what?" she heard herself ask.

His body tensed up at the sound of her voice. He turned around, staring at her under furrowed brows. Alex saw the muscles in his throat ripple as he swallowed. Alex knew for a fact that nearly everyone on board was watching, or listening to them. But all she could think about was him. She hadn't seen him in two years, the man she was so desperately in love with. The two stood there, soaking up each other's presence. Loki looked sick… his eyes were hollow and his face was thinner, making his features more defined. Finally, Loki seemed to have found his words, "Alex…"

His voice clung to the air and makes her stomach do flips and circus acts in her belly. It made her skin crawl, yet make her heart swell. Loki took a step towards her, "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," she remarked.

His hands clenched and he looked away, his jaw jutting out in the slightest. His eyes flashed back to hers. His eyes weren't as green as they once were. They had a touch of blue. They had looked lifeless, yet something was beginning to form.

Alex walked closer to the glass wall and stopped a foot away. Loki did the same. He raised his hand to touch the glass, to be closer to her.

"You left me," her words cut through him, wounding him Thanos never could. His hand retracted. He could see the anger and the sadness in her eyes. It made his heart ache.

He reached to the glass again, his eyes softening, "I've missed you, my love…" he said a little over a whisper.

Alex shook her head, tears beginning to form, "No. You said you would never leave me and you did. You lied to me. Again, you left me alone to suffer. And now, here you are as a murder; a terrorist."

Loki stepped closer, "I did come back. I'm here. Please, do not cry. You know how I hate to see you cry…"

Alex quickly wiped her tears away, "Why are you doing this?" she asked him, softly.

"I am not the monster you think I am," he said, "I have a heart and it belongs to you. It always has been."

Alex shook her head, "You're not a monster, Loki… Thor says you plan on attacking Earth. Why? Why are doing this? You've killed over 80 people, Loki."

His face changed. He looked hurt and upset, "Do you not realize that everything that I have done was for you? All I desire in the world is to have you beside me," he nearly yelled.

Alex made a face of disgust. He must not truly know her if he thought this was the way to have her. Before she could react, Loki scowled and reached through the glass. It clung and moved with his hand like clear gel. His hand broke through and grasped her forearm tightly. With a yank, he pulled her through the glass. It felt like feathers brushing against her skin as she moved through it, until she was standing in front of Loki.

Sirens went off in the large room, red lights flashing. Loki threw something on the ground that was clenched in his hand. A ball of a smoke like substance splashed the floor and ran up along the walls. It was fog, Alex soon realized. The air became thick and humid.

Loki pulled her close, "I will give Midgard on its knees and Asgard on a silver platter. I will give you everything you could ever desire. I will make up the time that has been ripped from us being together. I no longer need Odin's approval. I have your love; that is all I need. You are my world, Alex."

Loki's lips then crashed upon hers. Alex did not have the strength the resist him. All she could do was melt. She clung to him. His scent, his touch, his entire presence overwhelmed her. At that moment, she did not care if she lost her job. He was here now. He was with her. That's all she ever really wanted.

Loki scooped her up in his arms a laid her gently on the floor. No one would be able to see them. Loki removed their clothes by a flick of his wrist. Her eyes did not leave his. It was impossible. Alex could hear the yelling from the glass and the many people surrounding the glass cage. But it was all muffled. She could hear both of their breaths clearly.

Loki stared at her body. He had gone for so long without her sight or her touch. He missed everything about her. He couldn't wait to be inside of her once again, to feel her around him as he drew moans from her mouth.

The God placed his mouth back on hers as they poured their souls into one another, trying to make up what they had lost in the past two years. There was no foreplay nor was it needed. Loki entered her with a quick hard thrust.

Alex cried out in pure ecstasy as her nails gripped his back. Tears filled her eyes as he pumped in and out of her. Her emotions overwhelmed her; she could not identify what exactly she was feeling. But she did know that she was experiencing bliss. She felt, as Loki would say, as if she had died and went to Valhalla.

Loki's grunts and groans filled her ears along with the slapping of bare skin. He whispered sweet nothings in her ear as he made love to her. Together, their climaxes built and built. Loki gripped her hair and pulled her to look at him.

"Cum for your King," he growled.

His words brought her to the peak. She cried out his name as her walls clamped around his throbbing member and milked him as he came, coating his seed within her.

The two lay in the afterglow of sex with labored breaths and racing hearts. Loki scattered kisses across every inch of her body as she came back to reality. The noises around them poured into her ears and he claimed her mouth. Loki pulled back and looked her in the eyes, capturing her beauty.

Alex sighed and spoke mostly to herself, "I am so fucked…"


	6. Chapter 6

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Hey guys! Thank you for all the follows and favorites! Reviews welcomed! Enjoy!

* * *

Alex gently pulled away from Loki. Her tired body was intertwined with his with their skins coated in sweat. Alex tried not to notice the hurt expression on his face as she recoiled away from him, slowly. Embarrassment and guilt began to make its way inside of her. Her rekindled love she had just experienced was slowly melting away. She desperately tried to hold on to it, but it slipped through her fingers like sand.

Her uniform appeared in a heap in front of her. She began to put them back on with shaking hands. Loki, who had just put on his trousers with a blink of an eye, leaned against a provided bench in his cage, watching her intently. The sirens were loud and blared in their ears. The vapor had disappeared but the glass walls were fogged up, still preventing sight from the other side.

Alex zipped up her uniform and took a deep breath before facing Loki again. His long torso was exposed. His skin was pale and had sick, blotchy bruises along his ribs that were healing quickly. Loki looked up at her from his seat, his eyes never leaving her.

Alex ran her fingers through your hair and chuckled without amusement, "I can't believe you're here…"

She ran her hand over her face before casting him another look, "I'm going to jail, you know?"

Loki looked at her confused.

"There are going to lock me away and I will never see day light again. They're going to let me rot away in a cell."

"Not if I can help it," Loki said a matter of factly.

Alex opened her mouth to reply when a loud voice over the speakers came on, "Parker, get the hell out of there or I will go in there and get you and we both know that won't turn out well!" yelled Fury.

Loki's robes shimmered back on his body and he got up, slowly as if he was in pain. He strode to her and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

"I will see you soon, my love," Loki smirked and with a slight push, Alex slipped past the glass wall and was behind the glass barrier once again.

The fog cleared from the glass walls, revealing Loki standing tall and proud in the center. Guards of S.H.I.E.L.D. quickly grabbed Alex and hauled her out of Loki's sight.

* * *

"You wanna tell me what the hell is going on?!" yelled Fury.

"She's been in on it the whole time," Steve accused.

"This is unlike my brother," Thor thought aloud, "He hates humans."

"I never thought of Loki being the 'boyfriend' type, but I know how girls dig that bad boy scene," Tony remarked.

"How did this all happen?" Dr. Banner questioned.

"Alex, what aren't you telling us?" Phil asked concerned.

"A lot, apparently," Maria Hall bit.

"Everyone shut the hell up!" Fury roared.

Alex sat quietly at a steel table, hands cuffed together. Fury placed his hands on the table and leaned down, "Start from the beginning."

And she did. She explained how she met a mysterious man named Luke Olin and quickly befriended him. Only to find out three years later that he was committing a series of murders. She went into detail, how she was feeling, every sight she saw that she deemed important.

She told them how Loki left her for several months, only to return when she desperately called for him. From then on, Loki went under a series of disguises to be with her as much as he could. Until he came home one day, declaring himself King of Asgard. She told them how she swore her allegiance to him… and how she hadn't seen him since, till now.

She explained how she hardly ever knew his plans. She told them that she never even found out what he was doing as Luke Olin and what brought him to Earth in the first place.

Natasha glared at her, "How can you love that monster?"

Alex sighed and shook her head, "Because he's not a monster. I don't know what happened to him these past two years and I don't know what his plans are. But I do know that he is lost… And I can't give him all the love he needs…" Alex looked to Thor without saying another word.

Fury rubbed his temple, "Agent Parker, you are dismissed from this case. However, you are under arrest for harboring and working with a fugitive."

Natasha turned to Fury, "Let me talk to Loki."


	7. Chapter 7

Loki paced his cell. His plan will continue to go smoothly. It had never crossed his mind that Alex would be working for S.H.I.E.L.D. when she moved to New York. Every time he went to see how she was, she was never at work. She would be out or on the couch with Oliver. His tight schedule had him away for weeks at a time, sometimes months before he could spend an hour or two just to watch her; just to make sure she was ok.

It seemed to have been going well for her even though the empty void inside of her was visible to him. She was well enough to start seeing that man… But that didn't matter. He had her and she knew it. She could never deny him. He knew what power he possessed over her. But he, of course, knew the power she had over him.

A noise caught his attention, making him freeze in spot. He smirked, "There's not many people who can sneak up on me," he hummed.

"But you figured I'd come," replied Romanoff. Yes, he was expecting her. After all, he had something close to her heart, if she wanted to admit it or not.

"After." Loki smiled, "After whatever tortures Fury can concoct, you would appear as a friend, as a balm. And I would cooperate," he grinned, stopping in front of her in his cell. Oh, he was going to have fun with this.

"I want to know what you've done to Agent Barton," she said.

"I would say I've expanded his mind," he smiled innocently.

"And once you've won, once you're king of the mountain," she slowly approached, "What happens to his mind?" she crossed her arms as she stopped.

"Oh… Is this love, Agent Romanoff?" the God teased.

"Love is for children. I owe him a debt."

Loki refrained from clenching his jaw. He back up to the bench in his cell, "Tell me." He insisted.

The two took their seats as Romanoff began her story, "Before I worked for S.H.I.E.L.D., I, uh… Well, I made a name for myself. I have a very specific skill set. I didn't care who I used it for, or on. I got on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar in a bad way. Agent Barton was sent to kill me. He made a different call."

Loki had heard this story before, but he couldn't let her know that. Not yet. Loki pretended to think up a deal, "And what will you do if I vow to spare him?"

"Not let you out."

"No, but I like this," Loki leaned forward, eagerly. A taunting grin spread across his face, "Your world in the balance, and you bargain for one man," he said. Truly, there must be more to this. Loki's excitement began to build.

"Regimes fall every day," Romanoff shrugged, "I tend not to weep over that. I'm Russian. Or I was," she tilted her head.

Loki wetted his lips, his long fingers placed on his knee, "And what are you now?"

The red haired agent stood from her seat, "It's really not that complicated. I got red in my ledger, I'd like to wipe it out," she responded, seeming quiet proud of herself.

"Can you?" he asked, seriously, "Can you wipe out that much red? Dreykov's daughter," he face changed from curiously playful to dark and dangerous, "Sao Paulo, the hospital fire?"

Romanoff froze. He had her right where he wanted her. _Time to take her out, _he thought to himself.

"Barton told me everything," he continued. He rose from his seat, "Your ledger is dripping. Its gushing red, and you think saving a man no more virtuous than yourself will change anything? This is the baset sentimentality. This is a child at prayer. Pathetic!"

He reached her at the glass wall, scowling into her terror filled eyes, "You lie and kill in the service of liars and killers. You pretend to be separate, to have your own code, something that makes up for the horrors. But they are part of you. And they will never… go… away."

Loki slammed his fist against the wall. Agent Romanoff jumped back. "I won't touch Barton, not until I make him kill you," he growled, "Slowly, intimately, in every way he knows you fear. And then he'll wake just long enough to see his good work, and when he screams, I'll split his skull. This is my bargain, you mewling quim."

Romanoff quickly turned away. Soft sobbing was made from her quivering body, "You're a monster," she whispered.

Loki chuckled darkly, "Oh, no. You brought the monster," his hand slid down the wall.

Suddenly, her head rose and turned around, "So, Banner." The woman was composed, no teary eyes.

Loki narrowed his eyes. "That's your play," she pieced together.

His eyebrows furrowed, "What?"

Agent Romanoff quickly pressed her ear pierce and spoke to the person listen as she made her way around his cage, "Loki means to unleash the Hulk. Keep Banner in the lab. I'm on my way."

Loki pushed off from the wall and followed her, confusion apparent on his face. "Send Thor as well," she finished. She stopped at the door, "Thank you for your cooperation."


	8. Chapter 8

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Hey guys! I am so sorry it has taken me this long to update! Work and school has really taken over my life. Not to mention my new love to The Walking Dead. But I will never abandon this story! I want to thank all of the recent follows/favorites! It truly means so much to me and inspires me. Here is the next chapter, it is quite long, considering! I thought you guys would need it haha

* * *

Alex sat in Dr. Banner's lab cuffed to the metal desk she sat at. She wasn't really sure why she was there. Stark was the one who called her down. She thought maybe he wanted to tease her about her complicated love life. Stark sat on the counter, the computer screen in front of him, while Banner stood behind him. Stark ignored Alex completely while Banner made small glances at her.

"What are you guys doing?" Alex asked them, slightly irritated for being left in silence- and cuffs.

"Fury should be here any moment," Banner informed her.

Alex then heard rushed footsteps coming from down the hall. Fury entered the spacious room, "What are you doing, Mr. Stark?" he asked impatiently. He glanced over at Alex, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Uh, kind of been wondering the same thing about you," Tony replied.

"You're supposed to be locating the Tesseract," Fury reminded him.

Banner spoke up for his new friend, "We are. The model's locked and we're sweeping for the signature now," Tony smirked at Fury before narrowing his eyes. Banner continued, "When we get a hit, we'll have the location within half a mile."

The Doctor pointed behind Fury, showing him the scanning screen.

Tony spoke up again, "Yeah, then you get your cube back. No muss, no fuss." His computer beeped, "What is 'Phase 2'?"

A metal clank made Alex jump. Rogers had come into the room without them noticing, still dressed in his American uniform. A large, bulky weapon was placed on the metal island in the room. Alex immediately recognized it being a HYDRO weapon. She had shadowed Agent Coulson with the case when she first started. "Phase 2 is S.H.I.E.L.D. uses the cube to make weapons," he interjected, "Sorry, the computer was moving a little slow for me."

Alex chuckled to herself softly at the irony, before processing what they were talking about. She felt left out, not knowing what they were going at. Fury approached him and responded calmly, "Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract. This does not mean we're making—"

"I'm sorry, Nick," Tony yelled over him, "What were you lying?"

Alex leaned forward and looked at the screen. It was a blueprint to what appeared to be a missile of some sort. Rogers continued, his thumbs hooked on his belt, "I was wrong, Director. The world hasn't changed a bit."

Thor and Natasha entered the room. Alex was completely lost and confused. Banner pointed his folded glasses at Agent Romanoff, "Did you know about this?"

She stepped forward, "You want to think about removing yourself from this environment, Doctor?"

Banner chuckled without humor, "I was in Calcutta. I was pretty well removed."

"Loki is manipulating you," she scowled at him.

"And you've been doing what, exactly?"

"You didn't come here because I bat my eyelashes at you."

"Yes, and I'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy," he adjusted the computer for everyone to see, "I'd like to know why S.H.I.E.L.D. is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction."

Alex scowled in surprise, "_What?"_ She looked to Fury.

Tony spun around, "What, like you didn't know about this?" he cocked his eyebrow.

"What? No!" She exclaimed, "What the hell is going on?"

Fury had ignored Alex's cry and pointed to Thor, "Because of him."

Thor glanced around the room confused with his big arms crossed, "Me?"

Everyone puckered their eyebrows besides Natasha. Fury began to explain, "Last year, Earth has a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that leveled a small town," he scowled at Alex.

Alex was taken aback, "Oh, so that's my fault now?"

Fury continued, "We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, _hilariously_, outgunned."

"My people want nothing but peace with your planet," Thor defended calmly.

Fury spun around, "But you're not the only people out there, are you? _And _you're not the only threat. The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, that can't be controlled," he paced as he explained.

"Like you controlled the cube?" the Captain asked.

"Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies," Thor told him.

Alex shifted nervously, hoping they wouldn't start pointing fingers at her.

"It is a signal to all the realms that the Earth is ready for a higher form of war," Thor continued, passionately.

"A higher form?" Captain questioned.

"You forced our hand. We had to come up with something," said Fury.

"A nuclear deterrent," interjected Stark, "Because that always calms everything right down," he bit.

Fury looked at him with bored look on his face, "Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark."

Rogers walked forward, glaring at Tony, "I'm sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck deep…"

Tony held up his hand, "Hold on. How is this now about me?"

"I'm sorry, isn't everything?"

Thor rolled his eyes, "I thought humans were more evolved than this."

"Excuse me, did we come to your planet and blow stuff up?" Fury asked, his voice dripping with annoyance.

Everyone began to talk over each other. "You treat your champions with such mistrust," accused Thor.

"You must understand…" Tony began, about to lay down the line with Rogers.

"Are you boys really that naïve?" Natasha puckered her brows, "S.H.I.E.L.D. monitors potential threats."

Banner spoke louder than the rest and narrowed his eyes in disbelief, "Captain America's on threat watch?"

"We all are," she told him.

"Wait, you're on that list?" Stark asked Steve, "Are you above or below angry bees?"

"Stark, so help me God, if you make one more wisecrack…"

"Threat! Verbal threat. I feel threatened."

"Show some respect."

"Respect what?"

Soon the room was filled with loud, argumentative voices and their conversations became indistinctive while Alex sat chained to a desk. What she couldn't really understand was why she was on that list? Maybe Natasha hadn't noticed her in the room. In the corner of her eye, she could see Loki's weapon beginning to glow brighter.

"You speak of control, yet you court chaos," Alex heard Thor say.

"That's his M.O., isn't it?" asked Banner, "I mean, what are we, a team? No, no, we're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We're—we're a time bomb," he said sternly.

"_You_ need to step away," Fury warned.

"Why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam?" Tony asked, placing a hand on Rogers' shoulder. Steve immediately smacked it off, "You know damn well why. Back off!"

"Ah, I'm starting to want you to make me," Tony looked at him challengingly.

Steve smiled, "Yeah. Big man in a suit of armor," he began to circle him, "Take that off, what are you?"

"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist," Stark replied, not missing a beat.

Natasha shrugged and Alex snorted. Steve continued with hatred dripping from his voice, "I know guys with none of that worth ten of you. I've seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play," Starks eyes lowed as Steve humiliated him, "to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you."

"I think I would just cut the wire," Tony fired.

Tony smiled and scanned the room, seeing the faces with suspense on them. He looked back to Tony, "Always a way out. You know, you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero."

"A hero? Like you?" Tony asked. Alex could see the hurt in his eyes, his face stone cold. "You're a laboratory experiment, Rogers," he told him and got up in his face, "Everything special about you came out of a bottle."

Alex looked at the two of them with disbelief. '_What has this come to?'_ She thought to herself.

"Put on the suit. Let's go a few rounds," Steve challenged.

Thor chuckled, "You people are so petty… and tiny," he grinned widely.

"Yeah, this is a team," Banner said sarcastically.

Alex adjusted herself in her seat, "I know you guys are having a grand ol' time, but do I really need to be here?"

Everyone seemed to ignore her. Fury turned to Natasha, "Agent Romanoff, will you escort Dr. Banner to his—"

"Where?" the Doctor interrupted, "You rented my room."

"The cell was just in case—"

"In case you need to kill me," he interrupted again, "But you can't. I know, I tried."

Everyone fell silent. Stark looked at him, with pain clearly written upon his face. "I got low," Banner shrugged slightly, "I didn't see an end. So, I put a bullet in my mouth, and the other guy spit it out. So I moved on… I focused on helping other people. I was good. Until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk."

Alex couldn't help but feel bad for him. She barely knew the man but she wanted to hug him and reassure him that it would be OK, to promise him something she could not control.

But Dr. Banner did not stop there. His anger began to rise, "You want to know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You want to know how I stay calm?"

Alex sat up straight. She instinctively reached for her gun at her hip, only to end up patting her bare leg. Fury and Natasha grabbed theirs in their holsters.

"Dr. Banner," Steve got his attention. He looked over at him, frustration in his dark eyes. "Put down the scepter," Steve ordered calmly.

Banner glanced at his hand to find himself holding Loki's glowing scepter. A computer beeped and began to ring, grabbing everyone's attention. "Got it," Fury announced.

Banner gently placed the scepter on the table and walked over the computer that was alarming everyone. "Sorry, kids, you don't get to see my party trick after all."

"You located the Tesseract?" Thor asked.

Stark quickly put himself out there, "I could get there fastest."

"The Tesseract belongs on Asgard," Thor told everyone, "No human is a match for it."

Steve grabbed Tony's arm before he could leave the lab, "You're not going alone."

"You're gonna stop me?" Tony baited him.

"Put on the suit, let's find out."

"I'm not afraid to hit an old man."

"_Put on the suit_."

The two men were inches from each other's face. Alex began to worry that they would leave her there. Banner looked at the computer and muttered, "Oh, my God." He glanced up and gave a panicked look.

A loud roar came from below and shook the ground. An explosion erupted outside before the floored vent breathed out fire. The glass wall shattered, knocking two people out. The floor gave in, Natasha and Banner falling with it. Everyone left in the room was knocked off of their feet. Alex found herself on the floor, the desk tipped over. Her ears rang and her vision was doubled. She groaned as she tried to pick herself up.

Her hand was still cuffed to the desk, but she could see a bruise forming on her wrist. Alex looked over and saw Rogers and Stark quickly rush out of the room together. The PA above her spoke, "_All hands to stations."_

Alex pulled on the cuff, desperately. The ringing in her ears began to fade as she heard Fury call out, "Hill!" a pause, "Stark, you copy that?"

They had taken her ear piece when she was taken in for questioning.

Fury spoke again, "Coulson, initiate defensive lockdown in the detention section, then get to the armory," and he quickly left.

Alex called out after him, "Nick!"

He was out of ear shot. Alex kicked the cuff that attached to the desk, "Dammit!"

Alex looked around the trashed lab for something to help her get out of her cuffs. She kicked around scraps of metal and paper to uncover something that might have been knocked off a counter. Below, a monstrous roar came up through the exposed vent.

Alex looked towards it, knowing that Banner had changed. She quickly scavenged the area around her, but coming up short. Loud clangs on metal came from below. The Hulk was tearing the basement apart. She prayed that he wouldn't come back up to the lab.

Panic began to set in. She needed to get out. She was certain that there were ways for her to help. She felt her cheek burn and her head ache. Alex gently touched it to find it cut. She winced. She didn't have time to worry about wounds. Alex scanned the floor. A metal cylinder caught her eye. A small blow blowtorch.

Alex scooted across the ground, avoiding shards of glass. Her free arm would not be able to reach it. She moved her leg and tried to kick it towards her. She stretched as far as she could, grunting slightly. Someone stepped just behind the torch. She looked up to see Thor standing above her.

She gasped in relief, "Thor! Please, get me out of this."

Thor looked at her cuffed hand, conflicted. Alex pushed her hair out of her face, "Thor, please. I need to help, I'm begging you."

Thor looked into her eyes before quickly bending down to her. With his strong hands, he ripped the chain apart, still leaving the cuff around her wrist, but detached from the desk. Thor went to carefully remove. She brushed him off, "Don't worry about that. Thank you. Now go help Natasha," she told him.

The God nodded and jumped down the vent. Alex stood up on weak knees. She felt something warm slide down her forehead. She placed her hand on her aching head, to find her fingers touching a thick liquid.

She removed her hand to find it covered in blood, "Shit."

Alex looked out in the hall to see red lights flashing. She ran out into the hall. She needed to find Fury or Coulson. She didn't have time to think about Loki. She needed to reassure that she was still on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s side, even though she mostly defiantly does not agree with them making nuclear weapons.

Alex raced down the hall, finding her bearings. She was close to the control room, knowing that is where Fury would most likely be. She rounded a corner to find herself face to face with a man dressed in black armor. He raised his gun to shoot her, but Alex easily blocked it, knocking it out of his hand. She spun him around and elbowed his arm, snapping it. The man cried out in pain and dropped to his knees. Alex kicked him in the face before stepping on his helmet. The man did not get up. She didn't know if she knocked him out or killed him, but she didn't care at the moment. She quickly frisked him and grabbed his weapons that she could use.

With gun in hand, she made her way to the control room. Alex could hear a gun shots coming from her destination. A loud explosion then came. More men with guns filed into the vast room. Alex made three quick shots from behind them. They immediately dropped dead.

She ran into the room to see it up in chaos. The computer screens were static and the power began to shut down. The PA above voiced, "_Engine one is now in shut-down._"

The Helicarrier slowly began to tilt backwards. Everyone lost their footing and chair began to roll away from the desks. Alex braced herself against the wall. She could hear the sound of one of the engines dying down.

Alex quickly spotted Director Fury. "It's Barton. He took out our systems," she heard him say to his ear piece as she rushed over to him; "He's headed to the detention level. Does anybody copy?"

He paused, "Stark, we're losing altitude."

"Director!" Alex called to him.

Fury spun around, "What the hell do you think you're doing, Parker?"

"Sir, let me help," she begged. She put the gun in her holster.

Fury looked at her, thinking hard. "How can I know I can trust you?"

"Sir, I have been loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D. and will continue to do so. Please, I will do anything you ask me. Just let me help. You need it."

Fury sighed in defeat, "Fine. Prove it. Go check up on Loki. Report back to me. I'm sure Coulson could use your help," he tossed her an ear piece.

Alex nodded and quickly put the piece in her ear, "Yes, sir."

Agent Hill glared at her and Alex rushed to Loki's cell.

Hill walked up to Fury, "Sir, I don't think this is a good idea. How can we trust her after that stunt she pulled?"

"We'll just have to see, Agent Hill. But she's right. We need her help."


	9. Chapter 9

Alex ran as fast as she could, jumping over debris and dead bodies. She quickly avoided, to who she assumed to be, Loki's men. A muffled clank came from the room containing Loki's cell. She swung open the door and rushed inside. In the cell was not Loki, but his brother. Thor was covered in sweat and grime and his hammer in his hand. Loki stood a few yards away from the cell. He had not spotted her yet, neither had one of his men who stood watch. They were too engrossed in Loki's performance.

He approached the control board. A big crack was on one of the glass walls. Thor had hit it with his hammer in attempt to escape. A metal hook was slightly detached. Loki's silken voice filled her ears, "The humans think us immortal. Should we test that?" Loki bent over to press a button on the control desk.

A smack and a grunt came from the other side, drawing everyone's attention. There stood Coulson, holding a massive gun she had never seen before. A guard lay unconscious before his feet, "Move away, please."

Everyone froze, including her. Alex didn't know whether to stay put and remain unseen or to join him with a flimsy hand gun. She knew that Midgardian guns didn't do shit to Loki. Phil stepped forward, "You like this?"

As he approached, Loki did so as well, his hands never moving from in front of him.

"We started working on the prototype after you sent the Destroyer. Even I don't know what it does," he stood still and powered up the weapon, the barrel glowing orange rings, "Do you want to find out?"

Alex looked to Loki, knowing he would have a smart comment to say.

Within a second a sickening slicing sound cut through the air, joined with a pained grunt. Alex looked back to Coulson to see another Loki, stabbing Phil through the chest with his scepter.

Thor and Alex cried out in unison, "NO!"

The Loki by the control pad shimmered into thin air. Loki pulled his scepter out of Phil's limp body. Phil slid down the wall, blood trickling out of his mouth. Loki spun around to see Alex with doe eyes. Alex could feel tears well in her eyes. Thor gasped out silent sobs as he pressed against the glass wall.

Alex stood with lock knees, frozen. Loki slowly walked back to the control desk. He glanced to Thor and Alex and motioned to his blood covered scepter. An evil grin slowly appeared on the Trickster's face. "I'm sorry you had to see that, darling," Loki said to Alex, "I never wanted you to see me elicit something so indelicate."

A sob escaped her lips. She was afraid to move now. Loki laughed softly to himself as he returned his attention back to the desk. He pressed a button on the dash. The floor beneath the glass cage opened, flooding in light and strong winds. Loki grinned below, at the fate his brother will succumb to.

Loki's fingers hovered above the button that would drop the cage back down to Earth. Thor stumbled to the center. Loki's mouth formed an 'O' as he watched his helpless brother eagerly. His fingers pushed down on the button. The metal clamps unhooked and the cell slid down, making sparks against the metal and the cage was out of sight.

"No!" Alex cried out again. She stumbled forward before dropping to her knees at the edge of the platform. Loki stood at the control desk, his face unreadable. He flipped the button lid closed. He then turned his attention to Alex, who had tears beginning to fall from her eyes. He began to make his way over to her.

"You're going to lose," a voice said.

Loki stopped walking and turned abruptly to the dying agent. Alex looked up at the two of them.

"Am I?" Loki asked him, softly.

"It's in your nature," Coulson told him. Alex sniffled and slightly crawled over to get a better view.

Loki looked at him with disbelief, "Your heroes are scattered. Your floating fortress falls from the sky. Where is my disadvantage?" he grinned at him, eyebrows furrowed.

Coulson never removed his eyes from the God, "You lack conviction."

Loki's face contorted with anger, Alex was familiar with that look, "I don't think I'm—"

Coulson pulled the trigger of the weapon that lay in his lap. A large blast of fire shot from the barrel and knocked Loki through the wall several yards behind him. Alex gasped and fell back on her bottom. She heard Loki cry out as his back broke through the wall and land. Smoke billowed from the hole in the wall.

The weapon powered down, "So, that's what it does."

Alex quickly scurried to her hands and knees and crawled over to him quickly. More tears spilled from her eyes, "Oh, God. Phil…"

Coulson looked to her, "I was wondering where you were…" he croaked.

Alex tried to force a smile but it only came out looking painful. She slowly touched where he was stabbed, "You're going to be OK," she said with a thick voice.

Phil blinked slowly, "Don't worry about me, Alex…"

"That's a stupid thing to say," she scolded him through tears.

He chuckled softly before wincing in pain. "I'm calling for help, OK?" she told him.

Phil shook his head, "You need to be strong… You fight this," he gasped out.

Alex sobbed and shook her head, "No, you can't do this…"

Alex heard a noise and turned her head. Loki stood up and climbed through the hole in the wall. Anger was very clear on his face, "Alex, come here."

Alex looked back to Coulson who remained silent. "Phil…" she said one last time in desperation.

Loki strode over to her and grabbed her by her arm, pulling her up. "We do not have time for this, Alex," he warned.

"No, I can't," she cried out. She pulled back from him, only to receive a tight squeeze from Loki's hand.

"_Now, Alex_," he growled. He pulled her along with little difficultly. She had no choice but to follow him, "Loki, please…" she begged and looked at Phil one last time before being drug away.


	10. Chapter 10

Alex could feel the Helicarrier beginning to rise back up into the sky. She felt relief flood over her. She didn't know how she would be able to live with herself if the carrier went down, killing all of her friends as she lived. Loki was rushing her up to the runway for the jets. She must have been moving to slow for his liking because he quickly picked her up in his arms and carrier her, bridal style to the jet waiting for them.

The air outside was thin and Alex was forced to make small breaths. The jet and Helicarrier engines roared loudly in her ears. She buried her face in the crook of Loki's neck to block herself from the harsh winds whipping around them.

Loki and his crew ran to the jet. The large door for the jet closed just as they made it inside. The engines become muffled now and Alex's hair dropped on her shoulders. Loki placed her gently on the bench and took a seat beside her. She looked at him from the corner of her eye. His breath was labored but a menacing grin slowly formed on his lips, sending chills down her spine.

* * *

Fury dashed to Coulson's side, still lying limp against the wall. Fury knelt down beside him.

"Sorry, boss," Coulson apologized, "The god rabbited. He took Alex with him…"

"Just stay awake," Fury demanded, removing the bulky weapon from his lap. He pushed his head towards him, "_Eyes on me_."

"No, I'm clocking out here," Phil muttered softly.

"Not an option."

"It's okay, boss," Fury looked into his eyes that were beginning to gloss over, "This was never gonna work… if they didn't have something to…"

Phil fell silent and the trail of a single tear began to dry on his cheek and neck. Fury's jaws clenched as he saw his co-worker… his friend, die before him.

The Director slowly stood up, making way for the medical team to tend to him, not that there was much tending to anymore.

He took a deep breath before making his announcement to everyone, "Agent Coulson is down."

An unknown agent spoke, "A medical team is on its way to your location."

"They're here," Fury said right away, "They called it."

At the moment time froze and everyone's breath hitched in their throats before reality sat in.

* * *

"I never thought this was how I was going to see the inside of _Stark Tower_," Alex said sarcastically.

Her and Loki were dropped off on the helipad and began to explore the vast room that it led to. Down the short stairs, on the right was a nice bar before opening to a room filled with expensive décor. Loki walked in front of her, his long strides made him cover more ground much faster than she.

He quickly scanned the new environment, making notes that may be useful in the near future. However, Alex took her time examining Mr. Stark's home. Loki stood proudly as he looked out of the glass walls, giving a bird's eye view to them. He held his hands behind his back, soaking it all in.

Alex slowly made her way to him. She stopped a few yards away from him, not knowing if she should say anything to him. If so, what would she say?

Loki calmly turned around to face her. Alex was still getting used to his new look. "Why are you doing this?" she heard herself whisper.

His eyebrows furrowed, as if he was confused that she would ask him that. He chuckled, "My love, we already discussed this."

"Why are you_ really _doing this? This isn't you," she motioned to him with her hand, "This isn't who you are."

Loki rolled his eyes and began to pace slowly. "This isn't the god I fell in love with," she told him.

"I'm stronger!" he spun around, "I'm stronger than I was before. Before, I was weak. I didn't have what it took. Now I do."

"There's something else going on," she pressed her lips together, "The Loki from two years ago would have never done this. What happened to you that day in Asgard? Why did you not come back?" she asked desperately.

Loki sighed, "That is not something I wish to discuss with you."

"Bullshit!" she yelled, "Tell me right now, Loki. I swear to God."

Loki looked into her brown eyes. He noticed the dried blood on her head. He took a deep breath, "I tried to kill Thor…" he told her, "I sent the Destroyer to kill him and his friends. I lead more Frost Giants into the city and set them up. I killed them to look great in the eyes of Odin. But then Thor came back and ruined everything!"

Alex stood there, looking at him with shock and disappointment. He continued, "I was just about to destroy Jotunheim but Thor wiped out the Bifrost. I was then casted into an abyss, never to be seen again. I was sucked into a wormhole that the Bifrost had created and I was lost in space. I do not know how long it was before Thanos took me in and we began our plan for world domination over Earth. I will have you rule beside me, Alex," his voice became softer now. He slowly reached to caress her cheek.

Alex smacked his hand, "Disgusting…"

Loki's face contorted with anger, "After all I've done for you…" he began, his voice dripping with venom, "This is what I get."

"After all that you have done these past few days!" she yelled at him, "This_ is_ what you get! It's what you _deserve _to get. How dare you expect to receive my complete devotion and love to you after you _murdered _innocent lives! You remember what I did for a living, right!?"

Loki grabbed her biceps in his hands, pulling her close to him, "_Do not speak that way to me_," he tossed her towards the bathroom, "Clean yourself up."

Alex stumbled backwards. A wave of darkness washed over her. She was broken. He had just tossed her around like she was an object. Her eyes began to burn with tears as she made her way to the bathroom.

Loki heard Alex sniff as she trudged to the washroom.

Alex soaked a washcloth in warm water and began to dab her cut on her head, cleaning the blood from her skin. She did her best to blink back tears. A hand touched her tender arm. Alex looked behind her to see the Trickster looking at her with saddened eyes. He reached for her cheek and gently brushed his thumb across it.

"Let me help you," he said softly. Loki took the cloth from her hands and began to clean Alex. He worked slowly and diligently and with much care. As soon as she was free from blood, Loki swiped his thumb across her wound, muttering unknown words. Loki placed a kiss to Alex's forehead, "I love you more than the Sun loves the Moon," he whispered to her, "Never forget that."


	11. Chapter 11

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Hey guys, I have a long chapter for you! But before that, I have some news that you may want to know. I saw Thor 2! It was truly amazing. I won't spoil it for you because I know how it sucks. Thor 2 was actually spoiled for me and it kind of ruined my experience. But if you haven't seen it yet, go soon! It's wonderful. Well, anyway, there is so many things I can do with it for the next story in this saga. I know how this story will end, but I don't really know what to do for the next one. If you watch it and have been reading this, you probably have an understanding of it. I just don't know.. There is a lot I can do with it and Alex but at the same time, I don't. I still need to watch it a few more hundred times. But to be honest, it will be some time before I get writing it. I have been able to write these because I have the movies right in front of me and Thor 2 just got out. So if you have some ideas (I know seems very uncreative of me) but if you can PM me, that would be wonderful. I am just stuck. But like I said, I have time. Enjoy!

* * *

How did this happen? Here was Alex screaming at Loki for not being the same and now it is as if she had changed as well. Loki hovered over Alex as his kissed her lips desperately. Her legs hooked around his waist and her fingers knotted in his dirty hair. He gripped her tightly, rubbing against her. Their tongues danced with each other, sweet serenity seemed to float around her.

This was not like her at all…

Alex froze when her phone in her back pocket began to go off, vibrating against her. Fury must not have known she had it on her. Loki paused, "Are you going to answer that?" he asked patiently.

Alex wetted her lips and reached for her phone. Her screen lit up. Her eyes widened in panic. Loki noticed this and looked at her phone. "Aren't you going to answer that?" he asked again.

Alex pressed the answer button, "Hel- hello?"

"Alex, I was beginning to worry," Brad chuckled nervously on the other line.

Alex looked up at Loki's emerald eyes in fear. His face was unreadable. She swallowed hard, "I'm sorry. Work has been taking my time…"

"Of course, of course," he said, understandingly, "I just wanted to make sure you were okay, especially after what happened in Germany."

"You- you heard about that?"

"Yeah, it was on the news. I'm just glad you are okay," she could hear his smile.

"Thank you, well I better go. I'll call you later, yeah?" Alex never looked away from Loki's eyes.

"OK, I'll talk to you then. Bye," he kissed through the phone and hung up.

Alex tried to swallow the lump in her throat and placed her phone on the coffee table. She broke away from Loki's intimidating gaze. "Are you mad at me?" she whispered.

Loki kissed her forehead, "I could never be mad at you. Besides… I know that he means nothing to you."

"What makes you think that?" she asked him, genuinely curious.

Loki's eyes gave her a knowing look. _Of course he knew_, Alex thought, _He always does._

Loki kissed her again and slowly began to work off her uniform. A loud explosive noise came from the roof. Loki looked up at the ceiling, "He's here."

"Who?" Alex asked.

Loki gave her a look, "You're the detective. Figure it out."

Loki got up, grabbing his scepter and made his way to balcony door. Alex quickly zipped her uniform back up. Loki stood on the Stark balcony, looking up in the sky. Iron Man was home.

The metal man hovered over the runway platform made especially for the suit. Loki stood proudly on the round balcony, watching Mr. Stark carefully. Iron Man plopped onto the platform and began to make his way towards the entrance of the building.

Specially built equipment began to remove each piece of Stark's armor as he walked casually. As Tony approached the building, so did Loki.

Loki swung the door open as Tony came in. Alex sat nervously on the couch as Loki strutted towards him, "Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity," his sarcasm rolled off of his tongue with a growl in his chest.

Stark made his way down the stairs with his hands behind his back, "Uh, actually, I'm planning to threaten you."

Loki chuckled softly, "You should have put your armor on for that," he pointed towards the machines outside with his scepter.

"Yeah," Stark mussed, "It's seen a bit of mileage, and you've got the glow stick of destiny."

Alex bit back a smile. Loki, however, did not hide his as he gazed down at his powerful weapon. Tony made his way to his personal bar, "Would you like a drink?"

Loki grinned widely, putting his scepter in his other hand, "Stalling me won't change anything."

"No, no. Threatening," Stark reminded him, "No drink? Are you sure? I'm having one."

Loki's face lost its humor as his spun around and gazed at his new battlefield, "The Chitauri are coming. Nothing will change that. What have I to fear?" Loki turned around again, looking at Stark.

Tony removed the lid of a glass jar that contained an alcohol liquid, "The Avengers."

Loki puckered his eyebrows, slightly confused. Alex shifted uneasily. Tony had yet to spot her.

"That's what we call ourselves," Tony rolled his eyes, "We're sort of like a team. 'Earth's mightiest heroes'-type thing," he began to pour his drink.

"Yes, I've met them," Loki smiled again. With all that was going on, she couldn't stop herself from thinking how much she loved to see him smile.

Tony put on a fake one, "Yeah," his smile disappeared, "It takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. But let's do a head count, here. Your brother, the demigod," Loki growled under his breath, turning away to pace. He bounced his scepter in his hand. Alex could tell he was getting antsy.

"A super soldier," Tony continued, "A living legend who kind of lives up to the legend. A man with breathtaking anger-management issues, a couple of master assassins, and _you_, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them."

Loki winked, "That was the plan."

Tony took a sip of his drink. Alex noticed him sporting new bracelets on each wrist, "Not a great plan. When they come," he made his way towards the God, "and they will, they'll come for you."

Loki scowled at Tony, "I have an army."

"We have a Hulk," Tony returned a threat.

Loki widened his stance, "I thought the beast had wandered off."

"You're missing the point. There is no throne. There is _no _version of this where you come out on top."

Alex prayed that Loki would for some reason listen to him. She had to convince Loki to stop this now, before it was too late.

"Loki, please listen to him," Alex begged.

Loki turned his head slightly. Tony's eyes brightened up with a wide grin, "Hey didn't see you there. Want a drink?"

"Do not speak to her," Loki growled.

Tony rolled his eyes again, "Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it," he nursed his drink.

Loki slowly approached him, looking under his brows as he glared at him, "How will your friends have time for me when they are so busy fighting you?" his voice dropped into a deep rumble in his chest.

Alex heard his scepter beginning to charge and Stark's eyes widen in fear. She jumped up, "Loki, no!"

Loki raised his scepter, blue mist surrounding the blade and placed it to Tony's heart. The blade clanked on metal, the scepter powered down. Loki looked down, confused to why it wasn't working. Alex slowly walked up to them, watching carefully. Loki tried again, failing once more to control Tony's mind.

"This usually works," Loki blinked.

"Well, performance issues, it's not uncommon," Tony said, endearingly, "One out of five—" Loki grabbed Tony's throat and made Tony grunt in pain and threw him across the room.

"Loki! Stop!" Alex yelled at him.

"Jarvis, anytime now," Tony grumbled as he tried to stand up. Loki paced around him. He reached for his throat again. He cupped his jaw tightly, bringing his mouth close to his ear, "You will all fall before me," Loki shook with anger.

Tony's face began to turn red, "Deploy!" he called out. Loki lifted him up and threw him out of the glass window, "Deploy!" Stark called out one last time.

Alex ran, "Oh, my god!"

Loki grabbed her arm before she reached it. A beeping behind them and engine sounding brought both of their attention. Loki tossed Alex away from him. A metal container shot out from the wall and flew straight towards him, knocking him out of the way and followed Tony's route.

Alex picked herself up and scurried over to Loki, "Loki, are you okay?"

Loki groaned as he rolled on the ground and sat up, "I'm fine," he grumbled. He stood up and looked down to see if Tony had died on the pavement or not.

Iron Man shot up through the sky and hovered in front of them, "And there's one other person you pissed off. His name was Phil."

Loki raised his scepter, but Iron Man was quicker and shot a blast from his hand. Loki flew back and landed on his back, letting out a cry. A loud rumbling came from above. Iron Man looked up into the sky.

"Right. Army," she heard him say.

"Stark, what is it?" she called up to him.

He looked down to her, "You need to get out of here," he told her.

She nodded, "You go. I'll handle Loki."

Stark nodded and blasted towards the sky. Alex spun around to Loki glaring at her. "_Handle _me?"

"Loki, this needs to stop. I love you more than anything, but I can't let you do this…" she said calmly.

Loki chuckled before looking down at his scepter. He looked at her again, "I don't want to do this," he said.

Alex stiffened, "You don't have to, Loki. Please, it's me. You can't…" The sounds of blasts and explosions were in the distance as she heard objects zooming past the _Stark Tower_.

"Then don't make me," he told her, "This is my destiny. And yours is here, by my side."

Alex shook her head, "No… It's not."

Loki smiled and grabbed her hand, "Let me show you."

The God led her outside and onto the platform that rose above the balcony, locking the door behind them. His clothing shimmered into his armor, his helmet on his head. "Look at it;" he told her, "This… it will be ours."

Tears welled into her eyes. Something landed on the balcony below them. They both turned to see Thor, dressed in his armor as well, minus a helmet. Alex removed her hand from Loki's.

"LOKI!" Thor called out to his brother, "Turn off the Tesseract, or I'll destroy it," he motioned with his hammer.

"You can't. There is no stopping it," Loki pointed his long specter to him, "There is only the _war._"

"So be it."

Loki yelled a battle cry as he ran of the platform, smashing the specter against Mjolnir. "Fuck!" Alex yelled to herself. Alex couldn't just stand around and do nothing. She looked around her, finding no way she would be able to stop their fighting. It was something they needed to settle and for her to stay out of.

A letter from the tower was blown off, making her scream in shock. Loki did not hear her over his fight with Thor.

Chitauri zipped past her on flying ship-like motorbikes. She needed one. Alex braced herself as she spotted one coming closer. She backed up several yards.

_Three…_

_Two…_

_One…_

She sprinted as fast as she could and flung herself off the edge. She grabbed hold of the end, her body dangling below, helplessly.

* * *

Loki shot down the flying ship the belonged to S.H.I.E.L.D. Why hadn't Alex screamed at him to stop yet?

Thor tackled him to the ground while he wasn't paying attention. They were at neck and neck, swinging weapons and throwing fists. Through all the chaos, Loki managed to glance up where he left her. Gone. Thor kept at Loki and Loki fought right back. All that was on Loki's mind was _where was she?_ Thor held his hammer against Loki, battling strengths, "Look at this!" cried out Thor.

Loki scanned the burning buildings. How could he have missed her? Was she in the building? Impossible, he would have heard her break the door. She couldn't do it by herself. Was she taken?

His eyes were wide with worry. He needed to find her.

"Look around you!" his brother called to him, "You think this madness will end with your rule?"

Loki looked at him with desperation. He needed to stop this pointless fighting so he could find Alex. "It's too late," he said threw heavy breaths, "It's too late to stop it."

"No," Thor said hopefully, "We can, together."

A small smile played on his lips. He stabbed Thor with a dagger. Mjolnir dropped to the ground and Thor fell with it.

"Sentiment," was all Loki said. He smiled before Thor smashed him into a window. He picked him off the ground and slammed his down from over his head. Loki saw his chance and rolled off the balcony and onto one of the Chitauri vehicles.


	12. Chapter 12

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **I have been thinking. I will probably only have about 2 or 3 more chapters. It will be some time before I get started writing the 4th installment of the Alex Parker series. It makes me sad but it has to be this way. I will finish this one up soon. Probably before Thanksgiving (if you celebrate it). I won't be able to make the next one until I have seen Thor 2 enough times to be comfortable with it or until it comes out on DVD, which won't be in some time. I don't want you guys to have to wait that long. So I was thinking, that in the mean time, I could write a some drabbles of Alex and Loki. Some snippets that happen during Paradise, Beautiful Lies, and everything in between. What are your thoughts on that? Would anyone be interested in that? I would update it daily. It would range from fluff, angst, smut, or maybe even a crime they share. Anyway, here you go! I hope you enough!

* * *

The wind whistled in Alex's ear and her fingers felt like they were about to be snapped in half. She groaned loudly as she hoisted herself up onto the platform of the Chitauri vehicle. There were two of the creatures on the small spaceship. One drove it while the other stood on the platform, chained to it so it wouldn't fall off. The creature looked down to see Alex gasping to catch her breath.

The monster screamed before lunging at her. She rolled onto her back, kicking it and putting as much space between them as she could. Strapped to its hip was a dagger-like weapon. The monster snapped its jaws at her. With all of her strength, she screamed as she pushed it over the edge. As the body flew down, she reached as quickly as she could to grab the dagger, missing her fingertips by an inch. The chain was secure on the creature's ankle. It flailed around on the chain as they flew through New York.

The Chitauri grabbed quick hold of the chain and began to pull itself up. Alex's hand shot towards the dagger and ripped it from its hip and then slashed the chain. The monster cried out a blood curdling scream as it fell to its death. Alex sighed and wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. The driver of the ship made sharp corners around the tall buildings, shooting lasers at its enemy.

The Chitauri seemed to be attached to the shuttle. There was no way she would be able to drive it after killing it. She didn't have time to think. Alex sprinted towards it and jumped on its back, driving the dagger deep into its body. The alien screamed in pain. Alex hooked her feet in tightly around the alien's waist, "Here we go," she muttered and she turned around the bend as sharply as she could by guiding the Chitauri. The airships didn't bank well, due to her frustration.

Alex flew through the air, trying to figure out what would be best for her to do. Alex could see a bright blue light shooting into the sky to an opening of space. A group of three came right at her. Alex looked around the ship to see where she could fire at them. The Chitauri had its hands wrapped around what looked to be triggers or handles that could be found in jets to launch a missile.

Alex moved her foot to the hand and pressed down. Blue rays of fire shot from the ship and shot between the three. She narrowed her eyes and aimed. She fired, knocking one out of the air. The remaining two returned fire. Alex fired 4 more shots, hitting both of them.

Alex could see from the Chitauri climbing up and down the building walls, into the buildings and onto the streets. Fires and explosions popped up like popcorn that erupted in the streets with flames and screams of terror.

Alex avoided large groups. Small ones and loners, she was gladly to take down. She looked below to see Captain America running through the streets. City cops and firefighters did their best to hold off the Chitauri. She turned around another corner, her heart dropping into her stomach.

A giant creature flew through the air, the size and movements of a prehistoric whale, armor plating it. It was chasing Iron Man, who was coming right towards her. "Alex?!" he called out.

Alex flipped the ship around and flew beside him, "Stark!" she replied.

"Follow me," he told her. Tony took her down to where Natasha, Barton, Captain America, and Thor who was just arriving.

"Thor's right. We got to deal with these guys," Tony said, before flying off again.

The two landed down on the ground, Alex making more of an entrance. They mostly looked to her, their eyes wide.

"How did you get here?" Natasha said with disgust.

Alex stepped down but stood by the dying Chitauri, "It's a long story…"

"Glad you could make it," Rogers nodded.

"How do we do this?" Natasha asked.

"As a team," Rogers told them.

"I have unfinished business with Loki," Thor told them.

"Yeah? Well, get in line," Barton bit as he fixed one of his arrows.

"Save it," Rogers ordered, "Loki's going to keep this fight focused on us, and that's what we need. Without him, these things could run wild. We got Stark up top. He's going to need us to…"

An old motorcycle approached them, Banner covered in dirt driving it. All four went to greet him. Alex jumped off of the Chitauri and joined them.

"So," Banner began, "This all seems horrible."

"I've seen worse," Natasha added.

"Sorry."

"No, we could use a little worse," she reassured him. Alex raised an eyebrow.

Rogers spoke into his head piece, "Stark, we got him."

Just down the street, the Chitauri whale clipped the corner of a building, right on Stark's tail. Thor snarled as his gripped his hammer tighter. "I don't see how that's a party," Natasha said.

Alex was left out in what was being said in the ear pieces. The large beast got closer and closer, knocking trees and cars out of its way. Banner began to make his way towards it.

"Dr. Banner," Rogers called after him, "Now might be a really good time for you to get angry."

"That's my secret, Captain," Banner called from over his shoulder, "I'm always angry."

And just like that, Banner's small frame began to morph into the Hulk, his clothes shredding off of his torso. His large fist came right into contact of the giant's head, smashing it like a soda can. Its body fell on top of itself. The metal plates clanked on each other and revealed a mass of flesh to where Iron Man shot a small missile in the weak spot, "Hold on!"

They all took cover and the explosion ripped through the living being. The Chitauri from the building walls screeched in anger around them.

The Hulk roared as the Avengers went into formation. Alex came out from the cover of an abandoned police car. She smiled to herself at the heroic sight before her. But she knew Loki had more in store for them. It couldn't be this easy. Natasha looked at the sky, the portal gaping in the sky, "Guys."

Alex stepped towards them and looked at it. More of Loki's army poured out from the portal.

"Call it, Captain," Iron Man said.

"All right, listen up," Rogers began, "Until we can close that portal, our priority is containment. Barton, I want you on that roof. Eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark, you got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or you turn it to ash."

Barton looked to Stark, "Can you give me a lift?"

"Right," Stark grabbed his back, "Better clench up, Legolas." They blasted up towards the tops of the buildings.

Rogers continued, "Thor, you got to try and bottleneck that portal. Slow them down. You got the lightening. Light the bastards up."

Thor nodded and began to swing Mjolnir in a circle beside him, picking up speed until he flew up towards the portal. Rogers looked to Natasha, "You and me, we stay here on the ground. Keep the fighting here. And Hulk…"

Hulk snarled and looked to him. Rogers pointed his finger, "Smash."

Hulk grinned and jumped up on the building walls, doing exactly that. Alex turned to him, "What about me, Captain?" Alex asked, professionally.

Natasha spoke up, "Why don't you just stay out of the way? You've made things worse enough."

Alex glared at her, "None of this is my fault."

"Easy, guys," Rogers tried to calm them, "Stay focused. Alex, find Loki. Try to distract him in any way. Draw his attention towards you while we tear his army apart."

Alex nodded and gave Natasha a glare before heading back to the Chitauri shuttle she had confiscated. The Chitauri was dying and she knew it wouldn't last long. She needed to find Loki. She didn't know what she would do when she found him. She would have to improvise.

Alex circled around the city, no sight of him anywhere. She was able to take down several ships. She didn't go unseen for long. Soon she was spotted by a group with a number of 5 or 6. Desperate to stay alive but find Loki, her mind was racing.

She looked over to see another ship shooting at one of their own. She could see the flaming red hair hopped on the back of a Chitauri just like her. It was Natasha. She glanced between buildings. Loki was chasing her. She had a good opportunity. Alex cut through one of the side roads between two buildings coming right up beside her, "Go, I'll distract him!" Alex called over to her.

Natasha nodded and sped off. Alex looked back and made eye contact with Loki. The firing stopped immediately. Loki chased her as they came past the _Stark Tower_, once more.

An explosion came from behind her. Alex looked back to see Loki falling from his ship. His ship knocked another letter from the building.

"Loki!" she cried out. Alex made a U-turn and flew close down to the balcony. Loki grabbed his cape and brushed it violently behind him. Alex jumped from the Chitauri and landed on the balcony with a roll. Loki looked over to her. Alex muffled a groan from the rough landing and brushed off glass from her suit.

Alex ran over to him, flinging herself into his embrace, "Oh, god, Loki. Are you alright?" Alex pulled back and cupped his face. In that second his face softened and smiled at her like he used to. An explosive roar came out of nowhere, startling them both. Loki pushed her away and the Hulk slammed into him, throwing him through another glass window and across the room.

Alex screamed in surprise and ran inside.

Loki pushed his cape out of his way again and stood up as the Hulk began to make his way towards him.

"_Enough!_" Loki yelled, his hands cutting through the air. The Hulk paused. Alex stopped at the door. "You are, all of you, beneath me!" Loki hissed in annoyance, "I am a _god_, you dull creature. And I will not be bullied by—"

The Hulk grabbed Loki by his feet and slammed him into the ground over and over like a ragdoll. Alex yelped. Hulk dropped him in the crater he made in the cement flooring. "Puny god," muttered Hulk as he stormed away and back outside into the battlefield.

Alex stood stock still, her mouth hanging open and eyes wide. There Loki lay in a heap of whimpers and what sounded like the noise of a dying whale.


End file.
